2023 Volume 14 Issue 2 Pages 53-60
Recently, the role of occupational therapists has increased with diversification of medical/nursing care fields. However, the pass rate for Occupational Therapist National Examination ranges from 70 to <90%. A previous study showed that academic performance after entrance into a physical therapist training school was associated with the national examination score/success or failure. On the other hand, few studies have reported the association between the entrance examination score/academic performance at occupational therapist training schools and results of the national examination.
The purpose of this study was to clarify the association between the entrance examination score/academic performance and results of Occupational Therapist National Examination in students belonging to the Department of Occupational Therapy and identify the performance characteristics of students who fail the national examination.
Of 172 students who entered the Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kobe Gakuin University, between 2015 and 2018, the participants were 106 who graduated without repeating the same year. They were divided into two groups: success and failure groups (n=96 and 10, respectively) based on the results of the national examination. The participants had received the same entrance examination system and curriculum.
There were no significant differences in the man‐to‐woman ratio, entrance examination category, or entrance examination score between the two groups. In 10 of the 70 specialized required participants taken after entrance, the grade points in the failure group were significantly lower than in the success group. With respect to semesters, the grade points in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th semesters in the failure group were significantly lower than in the success group.
Academic performance early after entrance was associated with the results of Occupational Therapist National Examination, suggesting the importance of learning specialized required subjects early after entrance.
